Starliner’s launch campaign starts 45 days before liftoff when United Launch Alliance begins stacking an Atlas V at Space Launch Complex 41. Two weeks later, Starliner is mated on top, completing the integrated Atlas V Starliner vehicle. Teams then focus on finalizing launch preparations, rehearsing launch procedures and triple-checking systems. On launch day, ground teams stow cargo and, if it is a crewed launch, the astronauts head to the pad about three hours before liftoff.

In the final minutes before liftoff, the launch director polls the team before declaring the launch a "go." The Crew Access Arm on the launch pad retracts, the launch abort system is activated, then ignition! Starliner, atop its Atlas V, heads for orbit. About 15 minutes after launch, Atlas' Centaur upper stage shuts down, sending Starliner on its way to the International Space Station.

Rendezvous and docking are among the most difficult spaceflight challenges, and Starliner does both completely autonomously. Rendezvous procedures start dozens of kilometers away, when Starliner's cameras spot the space station as a bright point of light in front of a sea of stars. Then, an intricate orbital ballet begins as Starliner drifts closer and closer to station. Hundreds of finely tuned thruster firings then guide Starliner into dock.

When it's time to come home, Starliner is packed, powered up and prepared for departure. Then, the docking mechanism disengages, letting Starliner slowly drift away from the space station. After a flyaround inspection, Starliner conducts a series of burns to take it safely away and position it for deorbit.

Coming back to Earth can be even more difficult than getting to space. Reentry and landing is a crucible of high speeds, temperatures, aerodynamic stresses and G forces. Starliner is built not just to weather those conditions, but to conquer them. As the landing sequence progresses, heat shields jettison, parachutes deploy and airbags inflate, eventually ending in a first for an American orbital capsule: a safe landing on solid ground. Starliner made history in December 2019 by being the first American orbital capsule to safely land on land.